Belarus-Sweden ties plummet after bear drop

Belarus has ordered Sweden to fully close its embassy in Minsk by the end of the month, just days after the country's Swedish ambassador was expelled in a row over criticisms of alleged human rights abuses in the ex-Soviet state.

The dispute escalated after an aircraft chartered by a Swedish public relations firm dropped hundreds of teddy bears with pro-democracy slogans over Belarus.

The government of Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarussian president, has drawn condemnation and isolation from the European Union over its crackdown on opposition figures.